Words Unsaid
by EnigmaPhenomenon
Summary: Set directly after Advent Children Complete. After defeating Sephiroth and forgiving himself, Cloud finally musters the courage to tell Tifa what he feels in his heart. Following the confession, what will change in their "family" life?
1. Chapter 1

Finally writing a fanfiction for cloti. Yeah this is my first cloti fanfic...it's so weird...There may be some grammar errors and spelling errors.

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Two friends stood in the doorway of the church. He recognized these faces. Zack, 1st-class soldier and best-friend of Cloud; and Aerith...the last remaining Cetra who gave her life to save the planet. He had known them once, but then they left the world...no, they never left. They joined the planet, that was it. They were not truly gone.

Upon realizing this, Cloud felt a calmness radiating in his chest that soon spread throughout his body.

"I'm not alone..."

He saw them clearly just as they were about to leave; Aerith whom he had failed to protect, and Zack, his best friend who gave his life to protect him. As they turned to leave they gave Cloud one final message. Live.

The burden of guilt he felt was no longer. He could freely move on with his life without the shackles of the past.

"We should have a party!" Yuffie cheered, "The gang's all here!"

"Yeah a party!" Marlene agreed.

Cloud smile and looked down at Denzel, who grinned up at him. A party sounded nice. After all that happened, maybe they could take a day together...not as AVALANCHE, but as friends.

It was then Cloud heard Tifa's giggle,

"After saving the world? I think we all deserve some cake."

Cloud walked with Denzel over to Tifa and the others. Tifa turned to smile at Cloud who had such a calm and peaceful smile. It reminded her of the smile she had seen when their journey had ended.

Tifa couldn't explain the feeling she had inside. She couldn't remember the last time she felt so elated. It was true, they had a long road of hardship and pain but that seemed so far away now. She'd be lying if she said she hadn't felt happiness, but it was nothing compared to this. The feeling she felt in the church was almost intoxicating. Somehow, she knew everything would be okay now.

Denzel would get to stay with them, the threat of geostigma was gone, no more would she ever worry about him being taken from her. Denzel also had a smile on his face she hadn't seen before.

Before leaving the church, Tifa stopped and looked back at the flowerbed. She gazed at the water sparkling in the sunlight, then up at the broken rafters to the sky. It was just as Aerith said; one day they'd all look back and laugh.

"Tifa?" she heard Cloud calling her. His voice snapped her out of her daydream and she turned to face him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked with concern in his voice.

Tifa smiled and shook her head, "Oh. It's nothing."

"You sure?"

She nodded, hurrying to join him at his side. Cloud gave her a questioning look as she did so, but didn't question it. It was a time for celebration, so it was off to the bar for a party.

At the end of the day, they all headed their different ways. It was nice to get together and do things normal people would do. But now, Tifa was alone. Marlene was off with Barret to spend some quality time together after their long separation. Denzel was with Cloud, finally able to be with his hero. Tifa was happy to see Denzel so thrilled. Perhaps, now they were a real family? She wondered as she stood at the sink cleaning the dishes from the party. What would become of them now?

Before long, Denzel walked through the door with Cloud; Tifa greeted her boys with a smile.

"Goodnight, Tifa." Denzel smiled as he walked behind the counter and turned to go upstairs.

"You're going to sleep now?" She sounded stunned.

"I'm tired." He shrugged, "Hey, Cloud?"

"Hm?" Cloud sat at the counter, turning to look at Denzel.

"See you in the morning?" Denzel asked cautiously.

"Of course."

With those reassuring words, Denzel smiled and headed upstairs. Tifa smiled and went back to the task at hand.

"I'm glad you're back..."Tifa said to Cloud.

"I am too...do you want some help?"

"No, I got it." She emptied some glasses into the sink and rinsed them out.

The two sat in silence, but it was a comfortable silence. They were alone now and all that could be heard was the sound of running water and clinking of dishes. Cloud tapped his finger against the counter lightly, appearing to be deep in thought, he glanced at Tifa a few times before he stood up.

"Tifa, can that wait? There's...there's some things I want to speak to you about..."He appeared to be nervous, but he walked behind the counter with her.

"Sure...what's the matter?" She turned the water and looked at him curiously.

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he tried to find the right words. He didn't know how to say it, not to Tifa. He averted her gaze and looked down at the floor.

"...Cloud?"She asked gently.

"Heh...this is funny...you'd think after all this time, I'd know what to say."

Tifa tilted her head at him, fearing he would leave again, but all she could say was:

"It's alright Cloud..."

"Tifa...I..." he trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

After a sigh he looked up at her, meeting her eye he spoke "Let's work hard together."

At first Tifa was stunned, but soon a smile traced her lips as she nodded in agreement. Cloud had a shy smile on his face as he told her he was heading to bed.

"You should get some rest too." He said.

"I will." She smiled.

At with that, Cloud headed upstairs leaving Tifa in the downstairs bar. She finally got her answer from Cloud. They'd work hard together, work hard towards there future. After all they endured, it didn't feel as if anything else could get in their way. Before heading to bed, Tifa gave Barret a call on the phone, asking if he'd be returning with Marlene. He said they were on their way home now and were only a few minutes away. Tifa knew Barret just wanted a chance to spoil Marlene with gifts, or show off with his stories of traveling for two long years.

In the morning, Tifa woke up early like always and went downstairs to start breakfast. It was unsurprising to see Cloud awake as well. She caught him just as he was heading out the door.

"Deliveries this early?" She asked.

"No. I left Fenrir in Midgar. I'll be back a little later."

"In time for breakfast?"

"Probably." He shrugged, but he didn't know. The walk would take a while, but if he rented a chocobo to get there then he'd have one more problem to solve. He headed out early and was back by early noon.

Tifa was a little surprised to see him home in the middle of the day, and was even more surprised to learn he hadn't taken any jobs that day. It was a nice change of pace to have him around the bar helping out. Seeing Marlene scold Cloud about how to serve tables brought a smile to her face. She muffled her laughter at seeing Cloud attempting to take orders from the customers. Eventually Marlene told him he should just clean off the tables instead.

The sight warmed Tifa's heart. Denzel even seemed to look proud at being able to teach Cloud something, or maybe it was because Cloud was helping Denzel clean, and Denzel was simply happy having Cloud around. Barret sat at the booth in a corner, taking his job as a bouncer seriously.

At closing, Tifa took Cloud aside asking why he had stayed home that day.

"You don't want me to?"

"I didn't mean it like that...it's just...out of the ordinary is all." She shrugged.

Cloud nodded in agreement, "You have a tough job..."

"It's not too bad." She shrugged, "As Barret says...I'm good at it."

Cloud couldn't help but nod, she was better with people than he was, even as kids she always had an abundance of friends.

"So...what made you stay home today? I'm curious."

"I just thought...I thought I could stay home once in a while. Help out around the bar. You do so much everyday..."

"Oh..."Tifa was taken back, "Thank you...It's alright, I have Marlene and Denzel to help out."

"That's not what I meant, I...I had a lot of time to think while I was away." Cloud said.

"Oh..."

Cloud rubbed the back of his head, "I thought leaving was the best thing I could do. I couldn't protect anyone...not even myself. But..."

Tifa didn't say anything, she let him continue but she didn't know what to say even if she could speak.

Cloud looked at Tifa, "It wasn't fair of me to be so selfish..."

"Cloud..."

Cloud put his hand up to stop her. He needed to say it, it had taken him a day to get to this point. He couldn't let it stop now, he had to tell Tifa the words he was too afraid to say before.

"No matter what happens, I'll be around. Always. I'll always be here for you from now on."

A blush crossed Cloud's face as he looked away. There were so many things he wanted to tell Tifa, but the words never formed. Even with his days numbered, all he could do was leave. Cloud learned that by running away, that didn't help anything. He then thought of Aerith. She didn't run away. She faced her death with courage and prayed for Holy. She smiled, even until the end. Then there was Zack, who could have saved himself and left Cloud behind to die. Zack faced the Shinra soldiers, and protected Cloud. There were many things Cloud wanted to say, that he wanted to do. He didn't want to die, and was given another chance at life. He wasn't going to squander the opportunity.

"I love you..."Cloud finally said in a quiet voice.

"Huh?"Tifa looked at him, shocked. She didn't know if she had heard him right.

Cloud watched the ground, rubbing the back of his head, and his cheeks turning a deeper red. He turned away from Tifa and walked to the other side of the room.

"I never had the courage to tell you..." Cloud spoke softly.

Tifa's face felt hot and she turned to look at Cloud, appearing like a deer in the headlights. She brought her hands up to her beating heart and took a breath. This was not a conversation she was expecting.

"Cloud...Cloud, I..."She swallowed the lump in her throat, "I love you too..."

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All I got so far...


	2. Chapter 2

It's been a while since I wrote on fanfiction so I forgot on how weird the formatting is...Anyway, second chapter so I hope you enjoy.

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Tifa stood there in silence, the only sound she heard was the beating of her own heart. Cloud wasn't saying anymore, for a moment she thought she had misheard him...but Cloud was just as nervous as she. It had surprised him to hear those words. He had to admit, he didn't think he would get this far and was at a loss as to what to do next. Should he kiss her? He couldn't even face her!

The only thing he could do was chuckle. They had been through so much together, and Tifa had seen him at his weakest and most vulnerable and yet somehow she still managed to make his heart skip. Ever since he was a child, he wanted her to notice him and now that he had her attention he felt the pressure of trying to keep it.

"I…."he started off saying.

As if Tifa sensed his nervousness she spoke up, "You don't have to worry Cloud. I'll always be here…"

Cloud looked back at her, a slight blush across his cheeks.

"We'll work hard together, right? After everything...it was horrible. We never really talked about it, did we? I was always like that. When I was sad or upset I...I thought that by not talking about it, about how I felt, maybe things would be alright?"

"I wish you would...tell me how you feel I mean. You see, I'm the same…I thought by leaving that'd be best for everyone. I didn't intend to make you feel this way, like I didn't care, that's not it…" He shook his head, "I...I don't really know what to say to you…"

Tifa rubbed her arm nervously and looked to the floor, "Maybe there's...nothing to say?"

"No, that's not it. There was always plenty to say...I just never could."

"I feel the same…"

They stood in silence again, before Cloud spoke up, "Maybe we don't need to talk about it."

"Maybe…"

Cloud looked at her shyly, "Sorry...I'm not very good at this…."

Tifa smiled and couldn't help but laugh, "You're doing fine Cloud...You're right, we don't need to talk about it. It's...well it's how it's always been. You and I, together."

He nodded, "That's right...it's silly but...even as children we lived right next to each other but never talked. I...never thought we'd go on the adventures we did, together. It's a little strange when you think about it...we were always together."

"Even when we weren't?" she smiled.

"That...sounded better in my head…"

Tifa smiled sweetly at him, they weren't getting anywhere. Their conversation was just going around in circles, but she didn't mind. It was nice to have these talks with Cloud, even if she felt as though her heart would leap from her body and run throughout Edge.

"I think I understand now. I'm sorry Cloud, it took me a long time before I finally realized." Tifa bit her lip.

Cloud gazed at her with a gentle smile. The feeling in the pit of his stomach was one he couldn't stand. It wasn't something he felt before. It wasn't nervousness nor was it anticipation; Cloud just couldn't peg it.

Tifa felt the same as Cloud, yet was unable to voice her feelings. Where would they go from here? Cloud asked himself the exact same question Tifa was asking herself. It was a dumb question, of course the answer was obvious: They stay together.

No matter what happened, as long as they were together they could defeat it. Cloud still felt a gnawing feeling in his chest, ready to burst out of him.

"From now on, I promise, things will be like it was before...but better. It'll go right this time." He said with certainty.

"I know…"Tifa smiled, "I believe in you…"

Cloud smiled gently down at her, neither noticed that in the course of their conversation they had gravitated towards each other. They were now only inches from each other. Cloud swallowed hard before speaking,

"Thank you, Tifa…"

Tifa smiled softly and closed her eyes. She felt calm again, like she had in the church. Cloud was overcome with a strange emotion he couldn't place. It wasn't like anything he had felt before, but he enjoyed this new feeling inside of him. He smiled upon his realization that it was always Tifa whom he could trust.

Even in his moments of darkness, Tifa refused to abandon him. She fought alongside him until the end. To Tifa, Cloud was her hero...no matter what she knew he'd come for her, he'd never let her down. Even in moments he thought he had failed, Tifa always believed in him; that had never changed.

They stood together in silence once again, but this felt comforting and natural. They both knew they'd be alright now. After facing death together, they both joked at how this was the most frightening and difficult thing they'd ever done. They leaned together and touched their foreheads together affectionately, as Cloud's hand lightly touched her arm.

Though it was a gentle touch, it also felt as though he'd never let her go but would always be there to catch her if she were to fall. This was something tender, sweet, and it filled Tifa with confidence. With that action, she instinctively knew Cloud would always be there. There was no reason for her to be afraid.

"Cloud…? I want to ask something…"

"Then ask."

"Could we...could we take a day off as a family?"

He leaned away and with a serious but gentle face nodded. He'd like to spend that time together as a family, as a real family.

Tifa smiled, glad she had asked.

"Let's go, Barret's probably wondering what happened to us." Cloud said, walking back downstairs to the bar.

Tifa smiled and followed after him.

As Cloud neared the doorway he heard scrambling and something fall over. When he turned and looked into the bar he saw Barret and the children frantically pick up some chairs that had fallen over. Marlene was giving Barret a look while he cleared his throat.

All three of them seemed a bit suspicious.

"What happened?" Cloud asked, Tifa looked over Cloud's shoulder and blinked.

"No one's hurt are there?" She asked walking over to the table to help put the chairs up.

"Everything's fine." Denzel said quickly.

"Daddy just knocked over some of the chairs…."Marlene said nonchalantly.

"Yeah...er, yeah my dad Tifa…" Barret apologized.

Tifa quirked an eyebrow at them as Marlene grinned at her sweetly. Tifa crossed her arms as her eyes traced them. The three of them stood there smiling at her. She wondered if they had overheard her conversation with Cloud.

Barret coughed "Marlene, bedtime."

"Okay!" She said and headed upstairs to get cleaned up.

"Yeah I'm tired too!" Denzel followed Marlene upstairs.

They laughed as they passed Cloud, who watched them with a confused look.

Now it was only Barret, Tifa and Cloud.

"So Tifa…"Barret tried to avoid getting questioned, "How 'bout a drink?"

"Can you pay?" She asked.

"Oh...er, well…Yeah…."

Tifa had a serious look on her face but then smiled, "I'm just kidding."

She walked behind the bar and began to mix Barret a drink. Cloud joined Barret at the bar. They both got to listen to Barret's adventure for the first time. He was able to fill them in on his journey and his search for fuel. They didn't really get a chance to hear it at the party, and of course when Barret was home his first priority was Marlene so she had heard all of this already. Tifa and Cloud were just now hearing about it.

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Cloud and Tifa are my adorable awkward dorks and no one can convince me otherwise.


	3. Chapter 3

More Cloud and Tifa awkward cuteness. I hope this doesn't feel to fast, please review and let me know what you think. I'm trying to stay true to their characters while taking into account the progress they've made during the compilation in canon.

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It had been a few days since Cloud and Tifa had that conversation. As she stood at the counter drying off some dishes she thought to herself what that would mean. Her heart leapt into her throat anytime she reminisced about his words.

"I love you."

He had said that. Cloud actually said those words to her. A sweet smile crept across her face. There was a warmth in her stomach that radiated into her entire body. It felt like butterflies swarming inside of her, and that they could possibly lift her off the floor and float to the ceiling. Since that day, things had gone back to normal...but Cloud seemed to be taking longer on his job this time, longer than usual.

"Hm…"Tifa pondered for a while before she decided to call him.

Much to her horror, she was sent to voicemail. The butterflies in her stomach dropped like rocks, a sinking feeling in her heart. Why did it go to voicemail? She asked herself. Tifa shakily put the phone back, chasing unwanted thoughts from her mind. Cloud was fine. He was probably in a fight, or perhaps in a position he could not answer the phone. Maybe he left it unattended? She could invent plenty of reasons why he couldn't answer his phone.

She turned back to the counter to finish the dishes, distracting herself from worrying thoughts. The phone ringing startled her, but there was a sense of anticipation as she reached for the phone. The number was Cloud's and she eagerly picked up.

"Cloud? Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Huh…? I'm fine. Don't sound so worried…"

"You just...didn't pick up so I thought-well it doesn't matter what I thought. How are you?"

"I...I thought I already answered that question…I'm fine."

Tifa blushed and slapped her forehead, he had already said he was fine, "O-oh. I'm sorry for acting strange!"

"Everything alright…?"

"Yes! Yes everything's fine…"

"Good. Sorry I didn't answer, I was talking to a guy about something important."

"Something important? Like...what?"

"Right it's...well, it's a surprise. I'll see you at home." Cloud reassured her.

The words brought comfort to her, causing her to smile. She was just being stupid for worrying wasn't she?

"I'll see you soon!" She smiled cheerfully, hanging up the phone.

Cloud looked down at his phone and flipped it shut. Biting his lip he turned back to the man.

"That yer girl?" He asked.

"Uh...about our agreement…" Cloud changed the subject.

He hadn't meant to miss Tifa's call,but he was eager to return home to her with the surprise to assure her everything was fine. Once he had finished his last bit of business he hurried home to 7th Heaven. Denzel heard the motorcycle and excitedly ran out to meet Cloud. Tifa smiled weakly as she followed after him. Denzel had made it out of the bar before her but she could still hear the murmur of voices from beyond the door.

"It's for Tifa?" Denzel asked. It was the only clear sentence she had heard as she neared the door.

"What's for me?" She asked curiously, stepping out into the alley.

Cloud's face brightened as he saw Tifa, but then he averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

"This." Denzel pointed to something being hauled out of a truck. It was box-shaped and the color of sleek silver. Barret and a large burly man unloaded it onto the street, and began to take it into the bar.

Tifa blinked and stepped out of their way.

"It's a dishwasher!" Marlene smiled cheerfully.

"Dishwasher?" Tifa looked back at them, then at Cloud who scratched the back of his head.

"I thought it'd make things easier for you. You usually do the washing after the customers leave. This could lighten up your workload." The blonde explained.

"Huh?! O-oh." Tifa wondered if she had subconsciously complained about washing the dishes. She didn't mind it, and Marlene and Denzel helped her when the work was too large.

"Was it...the wrong one?" Cloud asked when Tifa stayed silent.

"No! Not at all." She smiled brightly. Tifa forced the thoughts from her mind. No, this wasn't because she was ungrateful. She remembered just the other day Cloud had said her job was tough work. He was trying to do something nice for her.

As her cheeks turned red she put her hands on them, smiling at Cloud.

"Thank you, Cloud. I appreciate it." She spoke earnestly.

Cloud instantly looked relieved. He had worried maybe she wouldn't like it, but seeing that smile erased all doubts from his mind.

Marlene and Denzel smiled to each other as they disappeared inside. Cloud disembarked his motorcycle and made his way to Tifa.

"About not answering the phone…"

"That's alright. I wasn't worried."

"You were. It was written all over your face...I should explain..."

"You don't need to…"

"I want to. I was in the middle of a negotiation. I didn't want to be sold some junk so I made sure I got the good inventory."

"Did...did it cost much?"

Cloud smiled kindly at her, "not at all…"

"Yo, Tifa! You're the one who needs to learn this contraption!"Barret called from inside, "Ow! Marlene...whaddya' doin'?"

Cloud just shook his head while Tifa laughed a little. The two turned towards the door and entered the bar together. The man briefly went over how to run the dishwasher as he installed it, leaving some instructions with Tifa.

She scanned over the paper and made notes to herself. It didn't seem difficult at all. Up until now, she had done all the washing by hand but this would greatly improve her time efficiency. Cloud had negotiated to get this for her. She wondered just how much trouble he had gone through to obtain it for her. Tifa couldn't help but smile. He had done it for her.

It took a couple of hours before it was installed behind the counter and working properly. The man left the bar leaving the family to experience the dishwasher. Tifa was amazed at how quiet it was. This wouldn't disturb the customer's in the bar at all. All that was left for her was to clean the tables and floor for tomorrow.

"Need help with anything?" Cloud asked.

"Mop!" Marlene handed him a mop and bucket before Tifa could respond.

"Remember to ring it out this time." Denzel smiled.

"Right…" Cloud looked at Tifa who only smiled at the children bossing him around. She felt as if they were a real family, doing normal family things. Out of habit Tifa reached for the facet to do the dishes, before she remembered that wasn't what she was going to do.

"Oh. I need to wipe the tables…"She reminded herself.

Before long the bar was cleaned for the next day. The dishwasher hummed away washing the dishes for the next day, and Marlene and Denzel were tucked into bed. Barret also seemed to be heading to bed early these days as well, Tifa thought to herself. Cloud had probably turned in for the night, leaving Tifa downstairs.

With no work to be done she wondered what she'd do. Perhaps it was better if she got some sleep for the next day. The customers in the bar had increased lately, and by the weekend Tifa expected there to be a rush. She would certainly need lots of sleep.

When she turned to go up the stairs, she was surprised to see Cloud waiting for her at the top again.

"I thought you went to bed," Tifa blinked at him.

"I was about to...I guess."

"You guess…?"

"Mm...yeah" he nodded.

Tifa gave him a questioning look, "is everything okay?"

"Yes. Just thinking. Goodnight…" he nodded.

"Good...night?" Tifa said as if it were a question. That was strange behavior for Cloud. She thought maybe he had wanted to talk about something, but decided not to for some reason. It didn't matter, Tifa was sure Cloud would talk to her when he was ready to about whatever he was thinking about.

That night Cloud could hardly sleep. He laid on his bed and stared up at the ceiling and thought about Tifa. Her scent, her face, and her voice all came to mind. Cloud had just spoken with her, and yet he missed her. It was a strange feeling, how she was so close yet these feelings had crept up. He made a mental note to speak with her more the next day. There was a nagging feeling inside Cloud's chest, one that he couldn't quite place, but he knew it had to do with Tifa.

"Things are different now…" he muttered, rolling to his side and tried to get some sleep.

In the morning he headed off to work, while Tifa unloaded the dishwasher. Barret took his usual booth at the corner, acting as a bouncer. Some of the customers noticed a change in Tifa's attitude. She always greeted them with a smile, but today seemed different. There was pure joy behind her eyes, she took orders cheerfully, and almost had song in her voice.

Some of them asked her about it. Tifa just responded that she had a good night's rest, but in reality it was more than that. Cloud. Just the name brought a smile to her face. Cloud, Cloud, Cloud, she thought in her head as she felt the feeling swell inside her heart. Everytime she looked at the dishwasher, the feeling became stronger. It was a constant reminder that he had thought about her, that he cared for her, that he spent who knew how long trying to get her such a thing. A warmth radiated from within her, and spread throughout the bar. It was almost intoxicating. So light, so cheerful, so free. Marlene and Denzel clearly took note of her attitude, Marlene in particular.

Marlene handed out some juice to some other kids and accepted their money. She was a bright girl and walked back to Tifa, telling her the exact amount of change she'd need. Tifa counted over the money to check her work, and smiled.

"Good job Marlene." She took the money and handed her the change.

The phone at the bar rang, and Denzel took the liberty of answering it for her. They all worked in unison, Barret didn't even need to break up a fight or ask anyone to leave the bar for drinking too much.

Cloud came home later that evening when the bar was already closed. The dishwasher was running again, but Tifa was nowhere to be found downstairs. He checked upstairs, the children were in bed and Barret seemed to be asleep too. Cloud could hear his snoring from down the hall.

"Tifa…?" He asked softly as he opened the door to her room, but didn't find her. Just because he hadn't checked his office yet, he looked there too but the room was just as he left it...no Tifa.

Puzzled, he looked at the ground and wondered where she had gone at this hour. Cloud wasn't worried, she was a big girl and could take care of herself but he thought he'd go out and look for her anyway. Though as his hand touched the doorknob he knew there was a chance he could miss her if he left. In the end he decided to wait for her in the bar. He poured himself a glass of wine and sat on the stool to wait.

Tifa was heavy on his mind. Somehow, their moment had seemed so surreal. He was finally able to voice his feelings for Tifa...yet...something seemed off. What was it? Tifa had told him she loved him too...with that he felt himself blushing.

"Tifa…"he spoke softly. Her name fell so delicately from his lips. Faithfully, he sat and waited for her return. When she finally walked through the door she jumped upon seeing Cloud.

"Man…"She breathed and put her hand to her chest, "you scared me…"

"...Sorry."

"What are you doing sitting here in the dark like that?" Tifa brightened the lights.

"I was waiting for you."

"Waiting? I told Barret to-oh did he fall asleep?!"

"He was asleep when I got home, yeah."

"I told him to tell you I'd be out for a while." she frowned, placing her hands on her hips.

"I didn't mind waiting." Cloud shook his head.

Tifa smiled shyly and walked over to him, taking a seat next to him.

"Alright, Mr. Strife...why were you waiting?"

Cloud raised his glass and took a sip, "I wanted to talk…"

"Talk? You?"

"It happens." He shrugged.

Tifa quirked a brow and smiled, but the next few minutes that ensued were completely silent, just as she expected. That was Cloud for you. Tifa sat with him drinking quietly. The silence didn't bother her to be honest. It was just who Cloud was, not someone who held conversations very long-or often for that matter. Tifa was content merely sitting with him even in silence.

"Where did you go?" Cloud finally asked.

"Oh, right. I just went out for a walk. A jog, actually. I had a lot of energy today for some reason…"

"Ah." he nodded.

"Were you worried?"

"Hm...nah. I think I'd feel more sorry for anyone who'd try to mess with you…" Cloud shrugged.

"If they were giving me trouble though…"

"I'd come for you. Run them over with Fenrir." Cloud asserted.

Tifa laughed at the thought and poured Cloud another glass as well as herself. It was nice to have these silly conversations with each other again. Somewhere their smiles had disappeared, but now it was time for them to return. Cloud was surprisingly more talkative as he told her about the places he went to, and mentioned how some people wanted such strange things.

"You travel out to the countryside too don't you?"

"Sometimes. Most of it is in Midgar, though sometimes I have to travel a bit farther."

"I miss the country…" She nodded.

Cloud took a minute but ultimately agreed with her. They had both lived in the city for a long time, but the countryside was where they both came from. Both fell silent again before Tifa spoke up,

"At least we can still see the stars...but with the new power source it seems that might come to an end."

"Hm...Do you want to go look at them now? It's a little...stuffy in here."

Tifa nodded. The air did seem a little warm, but she thought that was just due to her recent jog. Even so, she followed Cloud to the roof where they could lay down and stargaze together. The moon was full that night and shined down on the angel statue nearby.

The sky was filled with stars, but it was nothing like Nibelheim or Cosmo Canyon, but there were still stars at least. Tifa thought that maybe one day they could travel to the countryside again and watch the stars together.

"Jenova…"Cloud frowned, "she fell from the sky…"

"Yeah...what do you think might be out there? If something like that…"

"Who knows…"

Tifa glanced over at him, "you know...I always wondered what was beyond the mountain too, another world, another life...silly right? I was such a child."

Cloud looked over at her but didn't say anything. He let her continue,

"I thought I could meet mom again...though now I realize, I guess she never truly left me."

"I learned that too…"

"Mhm."

Cloud reached out and touched Tifa's arm tenderly, causing her to turn her head towards him. They stared into the others eyes before looking away. Tifa felt she should say something, and Cloud realized he hadn't really thought through what he wanted to do. His hand was still gently touching her arm. What should he do next?

"I'm not good at this stuff…"he muttered, mostly to himself.

Tifa smiled painfully and sat up, pulling her knees to her chest. She wasn't good at it either. She knew that. Why could she never say what she wanted? The words got caught in her throat, but then again...did she really need words? Cloud sat up and laid his arm over his knee, looking away.

Tifa looked over at Cloud, studying his profile in the moonlight. There was a certain tense-ness in the air that both felt.

"Cloud...you're really important to me...you know?" She looked away right when Cloud looked at her.

"I don't know how else to say it without sounding a little silly…"she smiled.

"Well you know, you don't always needs words to tell people how you feel. You said that, remember?"

Tifa smiled softly. As she thought of the promise, of Cloud saying he loved her, and of the gift dishwasher the warm feeling within her rose again. How she felt about Cloud? Tifa turned briskly and grabbed Cloud towards her, planting a kiss on his lips before pulling back, shocked at what she had just done.

"I...I…"She was absolutely speechless. The feeling had just become too much for her to contain.

Cloud also looked taken back but was snapped out of his daze when Tifa stood up quickly and began to leave the roof. Cloud reached out to her and tried to stop her, but she was gone in a flash. He had no time to react. She was there, then she wasn't.

"Tifa!" Cloud followed her into the bar.

She didn't seem to hear him as she quickly walked to the stairs. Cloud nearly slipped as he made a sharp turn inside the bar, his boots squeaking against the floor, he managed to catch Tifa's arm just as she turned. His foot snagged on one of the boxes laying at the base of the stairs and tripped him. Clumsily, their bodies collided as they fell to the floor.

Cloud fell back against the wall, hitting the back of his head, while Tifa fell forward and hit her forehead.

"Ahg…"Cloud rubbed the back of his head while Tifa leaned back, hand on her forehead.

"Sorry...I'm really sorry…"Cloud winced, opening his eyes, "I just didn't want you to leave…"

Tifa's face was bright red and forehead in pain. She didn't know what else to say or even do. They were sitting close now, Tifa's hand on Cloud's chest still and his arm wrapped loosely around her waist. Embarrassed, Tifa stood up but Cloud rose with her. Gently pulled her into a tender hug. This did nothing to calm Tifa, but at least now she wasn't forced to stare at Cloud's face.

There was a lump in Cloud's throat, as he had yet to process that Tifa had kissed him. He hoped the hug would atleast show Tifa that Cloud wasn't disinterested. Now that they stood like that, Cloud had no idea what to do next.

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Alright guys, please review and please be polite.


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